**KAZ**

He's a real character Dave....I went to check on him in the aviary. He flew onto me and stepped on my finger, so I showed him around the aviary...where the food was, where the good perches were etc.

That sale you do sounds like a good thing

The news says the fire is out of control and in the suburb next to us. They have made those people evacuate. Its going in a different direction to us.

Maybe 3 kms away. We have bush strips all around us, so I guess it coulod come this way. BUT it looks like the helicopters are winning.....they are flying low over our house. We seem to be in the flight path of where they are getting their water.

We have a fire over the back of us now. Sounds of sirens as streets around us are closed off, and also many many helicopters with water going back and forth.

Two baby greywings now in the kindie cage eldest youngest siblings to this one

Quiche is now in the aviary. He attacked a baby greywing that was added to the kindie cage so I put Quiche in the aviary. When I took him through to the aviary he wouldnt get off my finger...he had this "Oh Sh*t ! "look on his face and gripped my finger real tight. But he went in there just the same. PS baby greywing is fine

so cute

Macka, maybe you need to move to an area where they pay more for your culls at the local petshop than you are getting now.....or maybe your middle man gets more and you are being led up the garden path Seems to me you are being rippppppppped off Either you are being hoodwinked or they figure you wont try for a better deal. Sometimes the culls we produce are seen by some breeders as a non valuable by product of breeding budgies and therefore they take the going rate or even less. Others know the value of the birds and wont accept too low a price knowing it can be sold for twice that or more by advertising them or selling elsewhere. I recall an owner of a popular chain of pet supply stores once offering me $5 each for my birds as if it was a great deal.......like they were doing me a huge favour. I laughed and saidf I could get foru times that by advertising them myself. Also we have to opportunity to sell our birds at each monthly Budgie Club meetings and offer the club a 10% donation. It helps newbies and novices, and any people off the street who wander in for a look wanting to buy a budgie or two. Most of these culls sell at meetings for $20-$50 each depending on what it is. We have never seen a bird of yours posted on here EVER..........have you ever thought to try and sell them on here ? I am sure you would get more than you are getting now.

glossy white eggs are FERTILE EGGS Renee. Its the peachy pink ones that arent Hope you havent been throwing out the glossy white ones http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=fertile%20eggs fertile on the left....non fertile on the right.

I am excitedly waiting for photos of the budgies, tiels AND the ratties

Maybe if you wait till the hotter weather is over and we are into March - April and reassess them then ?

As soon as they feel the food at their beak they suck it straight in. No need to open their beak at all. Newly hatched will only take in enough to equal the size of a grain of rice.

Great, thanks Kaz. I will check in the morning then. Fortunately, I didn't wait until the last minute to get hand rearing powder, so if it isn't fed by morning, I guess I can feed it myself. Here's hoping Colleen will be up to the job, and all I will have to do it watch and enjoy the ride! Is it calling out....a quiet baby budgie wont get fed.

Really good news about the chick.....if hatched too early there is usually evidence of an "umbilical" and eggsac often still attached for awhile. I hazard a guess that it isnt premmie. Is it loudly asking for food ? If its squwarking it will be fed assuming Mum knows what she's doing. Being stood on is a cross baby budgies have to bear but they are very resilient and can cope with that. I wouldnt disturb them during the night as she may get off and not go back in.

Seemingly they would mostly be around the 4-6 months mark...some may be older. Can we look at some iris ring photos ?

The recessive pied likely has a bit to do with his wrong eye colours. Remember my funny dom pied with the no iris rings ? http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....c=27593&hl=

Suggestion You make the corner middle section your breeding room ( with full cover roof ).............then you have two sides for breeding cabinets and or holding cages. Flight one to the left and flight two to the right. One being babies and youngsters flight and the other adults. Storage can always be incorporated into under the cabinets.

Your photos are just great and I love the narrative that goes with the pictures....these birds are in good hands at your place and with you....Cheers kaz His parents Mum Dad Santa as a baby and now

Bear in mind that blue rings for 2010 were being used in September onwards so red rings were a short breeding season. AND a few of those are showing ceres not in condition as well as some still having their baby spots, indicating just around. past or near to first moults. AND you havent shown photos showing iris ring colour of each. We would have more experts here on BBC for aging or sexing budgies that that website...good or not

I agree

It is done, but you would have to know any hidden traits or health issues that may accentuate with close breeding. I dont breed that close myself at all.

I have seen some on the shelves of a pet/bird place here....kitform assembly with the ability to flatpack once out of the box. In the box not such a small package either. BUT they were expensive and the nestbox sizes werent right for the suggested bird species. That is...the weiro or cockatiel size was more suited to our budgies.

True macka...........My birds hate broccoli :rofl: I wont drop the cananry seed but will most likely change to a blend that has less. My birds get whey protein anyway so in a lot of ways they are getting a good source of proteins.

I have had huge success with handrearing canaries when I had to ............they make life so easy in that they open their beaks so wide for feeding. Hardest part was when they insisted on hovering while I was trying to feed them once they found a use for their wings